Balkan states face uphill task over environmental remediation

An image showing the OHIS compound in Skopje, North Macedonia

Source: © Mirsad Bekiri/Clip Media Group

Abandoned chemical plants and stores pose cleanup challenges

8 November 2019 started like any regular Friday for the residents of Kisela Voda, a suburb of the Macedonian capital, Skopje. However, during the morning, people began complaining to authorities of a bad small, burning eyes and itching throats. Soon afterwards, the cause was discovered – a methyl acrylate spill during cleanup of a site owned by the defunct chemical company OHIS.